Teams of Two
by HeartlessYin
Summary: As an ex-member of the Hidden Mist, Kisame never knew the happenings of other villages. He didn't know that fire rained from the sky the night of the Uchiha Massacre. He didn't hear the inhuman scream or the beat of massive wings amidst gusts of ashy winds and choking smoke. He knew only the name of the perpetrator, the kindred monster - Itachi Uchiha.
1. Dragon on the Rocks

**Author's Note:** Yo, this is Yin. Nice to meet you. Here's a short little cut out of something that may or may not be continued. I don't know if I should and I'm kind of low on ideas for where the plot would go, so I'm completely open for suggestions. Also, LF beta!

**Main Characters:** Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, Akatsuki

**Pairings:** None

**Status:** Unconfirmed

**Warnings:** Dragon!Uchihas, non-beta'd writing

**Teaser/Summary: **As an ex-member of the Hidden Mist, Kisame never knew the happenings of other villages. He didn't know that fire rained from the sky the night of the Uchiha Massacre. He didn't hear the inhuman scream or the beat of massive wings amidst gusts of ashy winds and choking smoke. He knew only the name of the perpetrator, the kindred monster - Itachi Uchiha.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Do not murder me please.

Do I love dragons? Yes. Yes I do.

* * *

"The Akatsuki work in teams of two. Choose."

When Kisame met Itachi Uchiha, former commander of Hidden Leaf ANBU Corps., merciless slaughterer of the Uchiha clan, and legendary Missing Nin the _Black Wraith, _he was… surprised.

Kisame Hoshigaki hadn't been of the Hidden Leaf, Konoha, and thus didn't know the more classified secrets that it contained. He had been one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, where you followed orders to the core (slaying all who compromise the mission – friend, foe, even superiors) or died. Truthfully, the mist-nin thought he had related to the Uchiha from their experience in the shadows, and, perhaps, in their monstrosity.

The Leader had warned him that Itachi Uchiha did not take partners, though his layered, swirling grey eyes had lingered upon Kisame's form. It was easy to play upon that interest. His words were carefully planned as a trap – a web woven from clipped sentences and strong argument. In response, the other had not been annoyed, no, but contemplative, and had told Kisame to do as he will at the risk of his own life.

There were no pictures of the Akatsuki, no data that the Leader gave him. Such information could be stolen or copied or imprinted from a prisoner's brain, as Kisame knew all too well. When Kisame had asked how he would know the Uchiha from the rest or a common passerby, the grey-eyed man had almost laughed.

"You will _know_," he said in a cool, commanding voice, and Kisame did not doubt that he would.

Kisame would learn, much later, that the Leader was the Deity of the Akatsuki. Unlike times past where Kisame himself might dispatch a superior should they step out of line, the Leader was the final law and master and for him there was no _line. _The Dawn would rise only with the Leader's beckoning, and though Kisame saw the shadow that always lurked behind him, he could not help but be absorbed by that power.

The grey-eyed Leader was the Deity of the Akatsuki, but Kisame's loyalty was not so easily bought with petty ideals and dreams. His God was to be found elsewhere.

When Kisame first set eyes upon Itachi Uchiha, he _knew. _

Itachi Uchiha did not care about Kisame's presence. When the mass-murderer of the mist came out of the forest and set bare, thick-skinned and calloused feet upon the sandy beach, he did not move to acknowledge him, and it was so that Kisame almost didn't see the other in his silence. But the ocean, so close, whispered its secrets into the mist-nin's ear as its cool fingers caressed his worn feet, and told him of a thousand petty tidings that could not be so petty for the one who listened.

The ocean told Kisame of eyes which had watched him, of a not-serpent that lay upon the black rocks in the sun but that nobody ever saw. When the mist-nin looked at the beach he saw glistening rocks, shining with droplets of water, perhaps, and black as the darkest night. He searched with his eyes, wary of getting close, for the snake or beast that the waters warned him of, and came up short.

He might never have found the beast, had the ocean not confided in him to _look where the eye does not wish to look, where the mist cannot reach. See that which you do not wish to see. _And he hardened himself and _looked._

There was a creature on the rocks of the like that he had never seen before, sleek and slim and powerful. Its body was long and graceful, like one of the great serpents of the mist country's seas, but covered in dark, glistening black scales that gleamed in the bright sun playing across them. But it was not a snake-kin, Kisame realized, for it had limbs that no serpent had; long and bone-thin like the rest of its body. Its hindlegs, much thicker in muscle than the delicate, sphinxlike fore, were crouched in position that told of preparation – should a predator strike, it would move faster to strike back, and Kisame was no fool to not read on cautiously.

Its head, perched upon a long, thin neck, rested upon the rocks rather lazily, belying its paranoia. Long and reptilian about the snout and eye-ridges, but with a touch of wolf-like strength along the jaw, its menacing head had a crest of six long horns. The two most prominent, a smooth-looking onyx in color, were at least twice the length of all the rest and reminded Kisame vaguely of the devil's own, curved at the base but straightening out at the ends to a wicked-looking point. Below those were a smaller set, almost opposite the one above in shape, giving it an even more sinister look, and then the last curved down and out, sharp end threatening to skewer.

But the most intriguing aspect of the creature was not its closed, unconcerned eyes or its long, beautiful fringe that lined its spine and long scythe-tipped tail, but the way the muscle of its forearms and shoulder stretched out along its ribs to its bony hips, protruding strangely, and shadowing its underside in darkness only made deeper by the color of its hide. This addition only served to give the beast a terribly anorexic look – my, it mustn't have been the width of Kisame himself – though the mist nin couldn't get a very good look since it was curled so about the rocks, only tilted to let the sun filter through scale.

Kisame took a moment to observe this. Something was strange about the alignment of the scales upon the creature's body, like they weren't lying flat. Before his eyes, Kisame saw them move, slowly, probably unconsciously, rising and falling as the sunlight passed across them. It was mesmerizing, the slow rippling sea of onyx over smooth muscle, trailing over a lean back, across shoulderblades and down a thin, so thin, arm where it stopped at slightly curved, wicked black claws…

He snapped back to attention. Another Genjutsu? Incredible.

The mist-nin shifted his weight upon the sandy grass that he stood upon, silently reaching with one hand to rest upon the heavily bandaged Samehada. So far the sword had been unnaturally quiet in the face of an unknown opponent, not giving off a single hint to Kisame on what kind of chakra the beast might contain. The lack of Samehada's reaction made him uneasy, something he didn't like at all.

Basking in the sun, lazily coiled about the rocks and blended so well into the surface that Kisame knew if he looked away for a second the beast would be lost to him, the unknown creature did not notice the mist-nin. Or didn't care.

Kisame felt a pang within his chest, something not quite fear but an insistent voice of doubt. _Turn back, _it whispered, in a voice not his own, _turn back, run, and pray to never see this beast again. _

He almost did. He had never seen something like the black-scaled lizard upon the rocks, covered head-to-tail-tip in genjutsu like a shinobi illusionist, except without breaking a sweat in the act and being utterly untraceable by Samehada and Kisame both, and it awoke some primal fear within him. _That is a predator._

But the ocean, so close, did not falter or shy from the beast upon the rocks and never would. Its misty spray caressed his hardened skin as if in comfort and he knew that, as long as he wielded the unstoppable forces of the sea, he _would not be prey. _

"Not an average beast, I see," Kisame began, his voice rough and thick as his skin, "but you are not a Bijuu. Answer me, beast, if you can – what are you?"

Its body shape vaguely reminded the mist-nin of the great serpents that dwelled deep in the trenches and massive lakes and wide oceans that surrounded the Mist, so he unconsciously adopted the same attitude his people did when they spoke to them. The massive snakes had been wild and ferocious, but, when subdued, they had responded to a voice of power.

It was then that its eye opened, dull and half-covered by dark lids, and Kisame saw – _knew – _what he had failed to see.

It was a pool of crimson, that eye, a ruby so intense that it seemed to churn under the mist-nin's gaze, was a thousand shards of crystalized blood pieced together like a jagged puzzle, sharp edges waiting to sever the strings of sanity that clung to Kisame's prone form. The tomoe called, spinning droplets of spilt ink, tainted and evil and captivating, and Kisame could only look deeper. He could see – within them, hidden, pinpricks of light – _truth, _his mind supplied – slit like the pupils of a cat or serpent-kin and just as poisonous.

The creature coiled on the rocks had the devil's _sharingan, _and Kisame saw death in that eye.

_Itachi Uchiha._

It – no, he – unwrapped himself from the stones on which he lay and descended, slowly, like a shadow pulling away from its kin in defiance of the light. Kisame could see both of his eyes, now, fixed upon him, and gradually gaining intensity as the cloak of drowsiness faded.

The doubt-fear returned, bubbling traitorously in his stomach and crawling up his throat to infect his mind. This time the words of hesitation tickling at his subconscious took their true shape – a voice like no other. Patched together with emotions and sensations, this voice was not audible, no, and Kisame could only describe it as a sense separate from the rest, a combination of them all and yet unalike in its entirety.

'_You know my name,' _the not-voice whispered in his thoughts, _'mortal, but recognition of your features evades me. You come with a purpose. Speak and I will listen, strike and I will kill. Choose, you who have disturbed my rest, and bother me not thereafter.'_

Itachi's tongue, long, black, and forked at the tip, flashed between his lips. Kisame wondered what he tasted in the air – temperature like the snakes of the forest or the emotions that he so easily wielded? Itachi advanced until his long, sinuous body had revealed itself from the protective dark outcropping, red eyes glowing eerily, and stood mere feet away.

"Uchiha-san," he found his voice, the coarse sounds rough against his ears after the strange voice of the other, "you can read my mind."

_He _stared at Kisame with a look that said – _really? _

The ocean pushed forward, closer, and the mist-nin took a deep, calming breath of the salty air. The ocean was close. He was safe – no one could defeat him when he had the waters of the mighty ocean at his beck and call. When he looked up at Itachi's scaled face again, he had mastered the confusion and awe that had grasped him.

"I am Kisame. Kisame Hoshigaki," he stated, "and I am to be your partner, Uchiha-san, in the Dawn."

Itachi cocked his great head ever-so-slightly, interest sparkling in those terrible eyes.

'_I do not take partners,' _it was not quite disapproval, more curiosity that formed those words in Kisame's mind. It was like a paw testing his strength and will, claws sheathed yet the threat still there, and the mist-nin knew it for the trial it was.

"The Akatsuki work in teams of two," Kisame replied carefully, "but I am sure that, in an organization composed of S-ranked missing-nin, the sentimental value of _partner _is nonexistent. These teams are created to complement each other, be it in style or necessity, and nothing more. The unspoken is that, should one of the _partners _fail in this, the other is free to dispose of said individual. This is correct, is it not, Uchiha-san?"

The legged serpent continued to gaze at him, and Kisame took that as a signal to continue.

"I believe that you have taken this to heart, Uchiha-san. However, you have not found any of your chosen satisfactory, and have given up. Now hear me. I have chosen _you, _Uchiha san. If you give me the chance, I will kill you. If I falter, I will expect you to do the same. We monsters cannot live in any other situation."

He stopped, then, having said his part. He watched the creature before him contemplate his words, and watched as the long, black tongue flickered out briefly and returned, sated. He watched the expression on Itachi's maw, or lack thereof, and waited for an answer.

'_Human.' _Was the confirmation in his mind. It was a feeling, an understanding that took root deep within himself, and Kisame realized that Itachi had judged his words and cut everything he said down with that one decision. _Kisame was human. _The man knew that, too, despite his leather-thick skin and grey-blue pallor. But it was strange to _feel human, _as Itachi's voice compelled, an alien sensation he had felt maybe once or twice before, when his mother still lived and loved him and whispered that _no matter how ugly he was, he was her child. Human. _

_He _had torn it all apart; Kisame's barrier, his monster shell had been stripped. In the face of _this monster, _a true monster, he was nothing. Not even the sea could save him from the _wraith._

'_Do you feel this?' _

He did. He felt overwhelming despair, terror consuming his mind, as he stared into those bloody eyes.

'_This is fear, human.'_

He _felt it. _In every bone, Kisame felt _fear._

'_Master it.'_

But he couldn't. Itachi was a demon, a spider weaving the very fabric of sanity with chaos, and Kisame knew that no one could ever master the fear that that power instilled in you. He learned such things with the ocean's brutality as his teacher.

"I cannot."

Itachi did not move – did not bite off his head or even make a sound of disproval. It was this that allowed the grey-skinned man to continue, to explain.

"Fear is ingrained in all beings, Uchiha-san. I can see," he makes conscious effort not to mention the eyes or draw his own attention back to them, "that you know this. It is a primitive response that warns you when you are outmatched and when death nears you. We can suppress it, deny its existence, yes, but what many fail to see is that fear is an evolutionary boon, a tactic that assures a greater chance of survival. I cannot harness the powers of nature, Uchiha-san, and so I cannot do as you have asked – but I can recognize Her gifts and use them to my advantage should the necessity arise."

Kisame saw a flash of something in Itachi's eyes and fell silent. Respect had leaked into those ruby gems, tainting them ever-so-slightly, and the mist-nin awaited the other's final judgment. He was not expecting the beast to turn and begin to walk away.

"Uchiha-san-"

'_Should you get in my way,' _the strange emotions returned, _'I'll kill you.'_

And then with that last message Kisame saw what he had overlooked.

_Wings. _Itachi was _winged. _And not just any wings, as like massive sails they stretched out from that traitorous shadow and unfurled a span to cover the sky from view. Long, bony fingers expanded the thin, translucent, yet leathery skin that strained between them, dark onyx color hiding the sun and basking the world beneath them in silvery light. And then the muscles along Itachi's back bulged and rippled with strength, raising those huge appendages high into the air and pumping them down with such _power _the winds that writhed beneath them caused trees to shake and bow and forced Kisame to use chakra to keep himself standing.

And then those beautiful, stunning wings had taken their master – so thin, his frame was, in comparison to them_, _it almost made Itachi look _small – _far, far out over the treetops and into the immense world of the sky. As Kisame watched the long, serpentine shape fade into the distance, he could not help but feel that that demon was a king in that realm, just as his mere presence had made the S-ranked missing-nin feel true and brutal fear.

It left him with awe. For the first time in his life, _he knew. _

He knew that though Pein was the Deity of the Akatsuki, it was Itachi Uchiha, the skyking – the _dragon – _that he would follow unto Hell as his _God._

* * *

Now here's the big questions - should this be continued?

Thank you for reading. Appreciate reviews, yadayada.

- HeartlessYin


	2. Massacre

**Author's Note: **Second chapter of Teams of Two. This one's a lot more bloody and a lot more confusing. It goes along with the fic summary so I decided to post it despite the lack of continuation. I did say I wasn't sure if I was continuing - this is more of a separate little drabble. I might do something like a every-other-chapter-is-relevant-to-the-plot kind of thing.

Back your bags and prepare to wince, boys and girls, because dragons don't use kunai to kill people. They have claws and teeth and are not afraid to use 'em.

**Main Characters: **Sasuke Uchiha (POV), Itachi Uchiha

**Pairings: **None

**Status: **Unconfirmed

**Warnings: **Un-beta'd writing, gore, death, famous Uchiha-style mindf*ck

**Teaser/Summary: **Sasuke didn't see it coming. How could he have? But the aftermath was undeniable. His brother had slaughtered his clan, torn apart hatchlings and ripped the hearts from elders. Itachi had stolen from him his family and his future, for all the dragons of the Uchiha clan lay dead. The shreds of muscle that had once been Sasuke's dormant wings assured this.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Do not murder me please.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha, second son of the head of the Uchiha clan, was overjoyed. He didn't let it show until he was a ways away from the academy, of course, since he _did _have a reputation to uphold. He had gotten another A on a written exam on different types of shuriken. Sasuke hoped that old Fugaku would be proud when he saw it. Maybe he'd show it to Itachi too, if he wasn't on some mission.

It would be a while yet before he was ready to graduate from the academy. It had already been two years – dad had eyed him coldly when he had decided against taking the exam at the end of the first year, disappointment – but he knew he was still not ready.

He shook his head, dispelling the dark feeling of incompetence that had settled over him. He'd aced a test! There was no reason to be downhearted.

He trotted down the street, careful not to whack any passersby with his clumsy tail. His mother nagged him for weeks after that one time he broke a guy's nose. He hadn't known the man was there! And he hadn't noticed that his tail tip had begun to grow a knob until his brother had pointed it out. Now that he had bone there, Itachi had told him, he'd have to be extra careful with the humans. They weren't nearly as durable as other Uchihas.

He turned into the Uchiha compound. The sun was setting, giving the place an eerie, shadowed look. Sasuke's scales bristled uneasily. Something was off. He couldn't place it. The street looked normal, if a bit empty. The shadows just looked a bit longer.

Wait.

Empty? The place looked deserted. Where was everyone? Was there an event he had forgotten? If so, dad would have his hide!

He broke into a dash, claws clicking against the stone ground. Nobody was there. The normal friendly bustle of relatives was frighteningly absent.

Movement in the corner of his eye. Sasuke froze just before the corner, head whipping around. He could have sworn he saw something on that pole. An Uchiha, no doubt. The flash of blood red _sharingan _lingered in his vision, though when he looked nothing was there.

Wrong. Wrong. Terribly _wrong!_

Sasuke turned the corner, abandoning caution. Immediately his nose cried protest. Smoke. Ashy, black dragon-smoke. A fight?

The street was charred. Deep gouges marred the walls, the ground, everything. Smoke poured from doorways and dens, some still licking with grey dragonfire. Shattered glass was everywhere. Blood was everywhere.

A corpse.

A big, gigantic elder. Kind old lady Hana, Sasuke recognized amidst slowly dawning horror, lay in a pool of her own blood. Her scales speckled the ground among glass shards. Her wings were burned and bloody stumps with shreds of skin and white bone. Her scarred head and lifeless, bulging eyes stared blankly at Sasuke from a twisted neck.

Hana was dead.

He could see others, too. Countless brutally slaughtered relatives, some lining the street like morbid décor, others in crumpled ruins atop once welcoming homes, all of them dead. Dead. Dead.

Old Taka's head didn't have a body.

Little Yuna, but four years of age, was separated at the belly. Entrails connected her two halves. He could see her spine.

A foreclaw hung over a doorway, strings of flesh and grey scale caught on something. Sasuke couldn't tell whose it was.

_Drip, drip, drip._

Sasuke collapsed, heaving. His partially-digested lunch splattered the ground, mixing with the blood of his relatives and family. Ash, smoke, and metallic copper filled his nostrils. He closed them but the smell of burning flesh did not leave.

_Bloodbloodbloodblood so much too much blood everywhere_

Heave.

Black dragonfire brushed his tail. It burned.

_Burning flesh_

_Thatcorpseisheadless_

Sasuke didn't want to look. Didn't want to see. He felt sick. He _was _sick.

He had talked to Hana this morning. He had seen old Taka feeling along with his tail since his eyesight had left him years ago. He'd seen little Yuna playing tag with her older brother Ame. She'd nipped him playfully as she ran past.

There went his breakfast. And last night's dinner. Sasuke's head swam.

_Dinner. Older brother._

_Mother. Father. Brother-_

He fled. His claws splashed through gore. He didn't look, didn't smell. He knew the streets by heart; he didn't need to see the butchered bodies of his family to find his way. He didn't want to know.

_Whodidthiswhyhowmomdad-_

Empty. There was no gore in the living room. Were they… did they know?

Where would they be.

Where.

_Thud. _Something moved. Sasuke bolted towards the noise, ignoring the voice that wailed _nonono don't look you don't want to know don't-_

Behind the door.

He nosed it open.

Mother. Father. Father was dead. He was already dead. His neck… Sasuke couldn't look.

Mother was alive. She stared at him with her cool black eyes. Stared.

Movement. Behind her. Sasuke almost cried warning, but, but-

Like a whip-crack, so fast Sasuke barely realized when it happened, teeth shot out of the darkness. They closed around her thin, delicate neck.

_Crunch._

Blood, more of it, sprayed the air. It rained down on the wooden floor that had once meant safety. Mother's cool black eyes widened, her jaws opening ever-so-slightly. A hissing, sickening gurgle was all she could make, blood bubbling between her long fangs and spilling from her lips. Her eyes, so beautiful, glazed over as she died.

_Thud._

A hauntingly familiar form stood over her corpse.

_"Aniki-"_

_Drip, drip, drip._

But it wasn't. Not this. This monster with blood and gore smearing its muzzle, with wild ruby eyes and spinning tomoe Sasuke had never seen before. This was not the kind, mellow brother Sasuke knew. Not at all.

_"Otouto," _spoke the signature mind-voice of his brother. No emotions. It felt wrong to feel a mind-voice that did not use emotions to communicate. This voice was empty.

But the dragon was his brother. Itachi. The bone-thin frame, the long neck, the elegant fringe Sasuke had always been envious of, the devil-curved horns. Even his brilliant, beautiful wings. Now the black of his scales seemed more blood-chilling than beautiful, what with the splashes of stark red.

_"Why?" _he cried.

Sasuke's sire and dame lay dead. He wanted to know why.

Itachi showed him.

_"Oh, hello Itachi-kun. What're you doing here? Do you need something?"_

_"No."_

_Sasuke watched, unable to move, to speak, to even scream, as Itachi's tail struck like a cobra, spearing –aunt Mardra! – cleanly through her neck-heart. He beheaded uncle Ishanyu soon after. He slew almost twenty healthy Uchihas before an alarm sounded._

_Itachi was in the air. When had he taken off? Others rose to meet him, flame trembling in their chests. He twisted; dove – Itachi had always been the best at complicated maneuvers – banked and loosed deadly black fire on their heads. They screamed. Burned. Some got off lightly, taking the heat on flanks or crests. Others found themselves crippled, wings folding as holes burned away until only skeleton remained. They fell from the sky like hail, broken and battered and crashing with horrid wet snaps. _

_The smoke roiled ash and death. The survivors screamed in pain and anguish and flew at Itachi in blind, disbelieving rage. Itachi had always been hard to anger, though. While they shot at him to rend and tear, red clouding their vision and judgment, he would dance lightly away. He could fly circles around them while they spat curses and uselessly flamed, searing their own nostrils more often than not. _

_When they panted and sagged, tired, Itachi closed in. A bite from a wing joint there and an ancient dragon fell. A quick, darting slash at a tendon and another spiraled to its death. His scythe-tipped tail sliced through bone, faster and more deadly than his teeth and claws. He used it mercilessly, severing whole limbs so fast that the owners didn't realize they had lost them. Itachi spun and twisted and darted and struck, wings carrying death, until his claws held the faintly pulsing, twitching heart of the last of his opponents. _

_Then he folded his wings and fell. When his wings opened again, the Uchiha Compound turned black and red. Black from his all-consuming fire, red from the blood of his hapless victims. The screams of the dying rose. Sasuke, unable to do anything but watch, felt like vomiting again when he realized that __**some of them had not been dead. **__Those faking or too injured to move died writhing and burning and in pain._

_Itachi showed this to him. He then went back and showed him it again. Then the excruciating details. Then more. Over and over and over again. _

Sasuke didn't know how long it went on. He was tempted to dash his head on the tatami mat he stood on. The rats would benefit, if nothing else.

* * *

Sasuke fled. He fled the blood tang, the mutilated corpses, and the cold eyes of his once brother. He ran and ran and ran until his claws slipped on something hot and wet – nonono don't look – and his tail failed to find purchase. His unprotected chin hit hard on cobblestone, stars bursting before his eyes in white pain.

When the blurring faded from his sight and Sasuke trusted his limbs again, he looked up and despaired. Was there nowhere his brother could not find him? Would he, too, be found messily separated in halves?

His brother stared at him. He was elegant as always, proud stance and just slightly opened wings betrayed the power in his thin and frail-seeming body. Old Fugaku had always been disapproving of brother's appearance, saying he took after his mother far too much for a firstborne. His long fringe was almost exactly like mothers, while Sasuke's own was clipped and stiff in comparison. Brother looked feminine in all but his harsh eyes.

It seemed a mockery now. A thin-boned, wide-winged young dragon had single-clawedly torn apart the whole of the grand Uchiha clan. A genius, they had called him. With genius, it seemed, came madness.

Sasuke did not know where his brother's kind hearts had gone. He had never heard the brittle rattle he heard now behind his brother's blood caked chest and neck-scale. Had he lost one to some mission? It was not unknown for a dragon to go mad from the pain of a torn-out neck-heart.

_"Otouto," _taunted his once-brother. Uchiha blood dripped down his muzzle.

His brother would kill him. He would lash out like he had with mother – crush his skull between his teeth, perhaps, or pick out his hearts one by one. Sasuke trembled uncontrollably.

Itachi's head moved faster than Sasuke could follow. White hot pain spiked up his spine.

He felt streams of blood on his belly. It made him feel strangely disconnected. He couldn't feel his toes. Had his brother split him down the middle? Like little Yuna? He felt scale crack and skin give – his spine separating at the joint?

But no, the pain continued. There was no relief in death. No calming darkness. Only pain. And it wasn't the pain of a division, he realized, but of muscle and flesh bitten out from his shoulderblades.

Grey tainted his vision, but still he could see his brother's head arc up and over him. Shreds of muscle hung from his clipping front teeth. Cold red eyes stared at Sasuke mercilessly as his head tipped and, with a sickening swallow, the meat disappeared.

It took him a moment to register what his brother had done through the pain.

_"The dragons of the Uchiha clan are dead," _his brother told him, turning away from Sasuke's crippled form.

The creeping fingers of unconsciousness gripped him, the sight of massive wings stirring the settling ash and smoke the last thing he knew.

* * *

Yeah, I'm a jerk alright. Just needed to get this out of my system.

The lack of reviews is disheartening. Thank you B.w.13 for the support, I appreciate it!

Possible next chapters: 1 - direct continuation of chapter 1, involving Kisame meeting the other Akatsuki members and settling in; 2 - Kisame and Itachi's first mission working together; 3 - before the massacre, Sasuke watching Itachi uncase his wings and fly for the first time.

If you have other suggestions, please do share!

Thanks for reading and have a good life!

- HeartlessYin


	3. Pig Slaughter

**Author's Note:** I love you, B.w.13, I really, really do. I love reading those reviews of yours! After updating this I'm going to go on a little break until this fic reaches at least 6 reviews, since I'm not feeling real motivated. But I promise, once this fic reaches 6 reviews I'll update.

**Main Characters:** Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, Akatsuki, Anonymous Dead Guy(s)

**Pairings:** None

**Status:** Unconfirmed

**Warnings:** Dragon!Uchiha, blood, gore, creepiness, possible mindf*ck, made up people who promptly die.

**Teaser/Summary: **Jiro was just a newly recruited ANBU. He could kill people. More importantly, he _did _kill people. Quite often. His first ANBU mission isn't quite so easy, however - hunt down the two Akatsuki intruders and eliminate them. Simple enough, right? Not if one of them is an effing dragon.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Do not murder me please.

* * *

Jiro admitted to being frightened. It was his first mission as a real, no strings-attached ANBU; something his superiors said was only natural to be nervous and afraid about. ANBU took on the big-shots. In fact, they were the big-shots. If you were in ANBU, your mask would be sported in the bingo books by the end of the week. It was kind of guaranteed. And the reason by ANBU wore masks in the first place.

Jiro absentmindedly adjusted his mask as he landed hard on a broad tree branch, pushing off a moment later with his comrades. He had been given the highly abhorred 'Pig' mask after its previous user died a gruesome death. Jiro hadn't been allowed to see the corpse.

"Now remember," squad leader Snake called, "We're going after a pair of highly skilled S-rank criminals. This is no A-rank walk in the park like you newbies are used too. These guys kill jounin on a day-to-day basis."

And that meant something. Most of the ANBU in the squad had been jounin as well until just a little while ago. It was a five-man team – Snake, Rat, Ox, Boar, and Jiro, Pig. Only Snake and Rat had prior experience as ANBU.

"Our targets are of the S-ranked criminal organization, Akatsuki. Sure you've all heard the rumors. One of them is a missing nin of the Mist, Kirigakure, known as one of the seven legendary swordsmen."

"Kisame Hoshigaki," piped up Rat in her high-pitched voice, "standing bounty of fifty-five billion ryo, dead or alive. Wanted for disobeying orders, killing a high-ranking superior, and defecting from the Mist. Suspected to be involved with multiple murders and conspiracies."

Jiro gulped.

"Thank you, Rat," said Snake, "Now, from past reports on encounters with Hoshigaki we know that it is far more challenging to attack head-on. Ox, you are known for your superb sealing jutsus and barriers. We expect you to put those skills to use while we deal with the other one."

"Other one?" Jiro spoke up. He knew he should have read the mission scroll more thoroughly, but the excitement of his initiation had overshadowed it.

"Yes, other one. We've confirmed that the Akatsuki work in pairs."

Like that was everyday knowledge. Jiro began to nod, then realized Snake had no way to see it, "Understood."

"The second target is another S-ranked criminal, this time of the Leaf, Konohagakure."

"Itachi Uchiha," added Rat, "standing bounty of a hundred bil ryo, dead or alive. Most information on him is confidential, though before his betrayal he was known as the hidden Leaf's _black wraith, _and had achieved the rank of ANBU captain. He apparently massacred his entire clan and, like his partner, is suspected to be involved with several murders and conspiracies across the five nations."

"Uchiha?" said Boar, "aren't those the Sharingan users?"

"Exactly," agreed Snake, "That's why I'm here."

"Snake's great with genjutsu and counters," Rat added.

"…and the Hoshigaki clan? I've heard something about them being fishmen."

"Fantasy, that, old wives tales. They're just real ugly. It's easy to imagine shit when the mist messes with your brain," explained Snake.

"They say the Uchihas are the real creepies," said Rat, "they have some kind of kekkei-genkai that gives them monster shape in battle. You should see the bite-marks…"

"Enough, Rat, we're here on a mission. Not to give the new kids nightmares."

"Too late," Boar groaned.

"Quiet," Ox cut in since the leader was distracted, "We're nearing the area where the targets were last spotted."

They pulled out of their sprint in leeway of a stealthier, cautious pace. A small town on the border between Iwagakure and Konohagakure was the place. If the informant was to be believed, the two S-ranked missing nin had been frequenting a small traditional café there, trying different foods each time. They had left town just recently, so the probability of the two still lingering in the area was high.

Snake took the lead, replacing Rat. Ox dropped behind, using his honed chakra-sensing to search the area. Jiro tossed up an unassuming bird summon – a finch – and saw the world through its eyes.

There were signs of activity. The targets were heading into Fire Country. If they crossed the border, the Iwa ANBU would be called back and the case abandoned. It was but a day's walk to the border outposts and they hadn't heard anything about turning back, so they reasoned that the missing nin would be somewhere between the town and the border.

An hour passed of boring searching. They had yet to hear anymore updates on the mission from the higher ups. The targets seemed to be taking their time.

It annoyed Jiro. The others were feeling it too.

Another hour. Then another. Snake began to wonder if a messenger hawk had been intercepted. They reached the outpost, confirmed the lack of suspicious activity, and doubled back.

In dangerous territory, ANBU couldn't even relax enough to eat. So they hunted on uncomfortably empty stomachs, getting irritable and finicky. Maybe that was why they were caught unawares. Or it could have just been inexperience and sloppiness. They knew they were facing a terrible threat, but underestimated all the same.

Ox died first. Nobody heard the intruder. Nobody felt unknown chakra. The uneasy feeling of _something'swrongwhatisit _settled in their stomachs. Snake realized the lack of one pair of feet before Jiro did, which was sad considering Ox had been right beside Jiro when he disappeared.

They turned. Backtracked. Careful now, wary of an ambush.

They found Ox lying on a tree branch, disemboweled and head crushed. Blood and brain matter leaked onto the branch and soaked into the wood. Boar heaved.

"He's dead," Rat confirmed unnecessarily. It was pretty damn obvious that Ox was dead.

"No shit," hissed Boar.

"The Uchiha's doing, I think," Snake whispered solemnly.

"A monster," Jiro spoke without thinking. It was just… it looked like something had _taken a bite _out of his _stomach._

"Yeah," Rat said, not joking, now, "like I said. You can see the teeth marks on his corpse. Those things're big."

"Oh god," Boar moaned.

Jiro looked away.

Something moved.

He snapped to attention, fear raising gooseflesh along his neck and arms. A black spot lingered in his vision, though he couldn't see anything moving besides drifting leaves.

"Did you guys see that?" he asked, grip tightening around a concealed kunai.

"See what?" asked Boar, still queasy.

Snake had. She watched the shadows intently. Rat picked up the vibe and alerted.

_Fear._

Jiro had never felt such an overwhelming emotion. His vision swam with Ox's torn out entrails, with shifting shapes just out of sight and gleaming white teeth in vicious, bloody grins. Jiro wanted to turn and run. He wanted to abandon this place with its blood stench and vengeful ghosts. He shivered, hands going numb.

_You're going to die._

Jiro felt it. He felt death with its creeping fingers. He felt, distinctly, that if he remained where he was he would die.

_Die._

Jiro wanted to scream. He didn't want to die here, lying on some tree branch like Ox. Hell, Jiro didn't even know Ox's real name. Would other ANBU find them all with their entrails hanging in the branches like morbid décor? Would anybody see his ugly pig mask and think – that was Jiro, poor Jiro, just made it into the ANBU, died on his first mission…

…strange, how Jiro's subconscious referred to him as a separate entity. Was he going mad?

"Fuck," Snake's voice. She was feeling it too. Jiro could still feel Rat and Boar's chakra, so they had to be there somewhere.

"Genjutsu?" Jiro bit out. The fear was making him giddy.

"No," said Snake, "Something else. I've never felt this before."

_Going to die going to die goingtodiegoingtodiegoingtodie-_

"I think I'm going insane," Boar choked.

Wind whistled. It was the sound of something big moving really, really fast. Jiro knew it like he knew how to throw kunai – his older brother had loved to randomly tackle him and since the guy was a shinobi; the sound would often accompany him. It was reflex – _brother again, dammit, think he'd learn already – _ducking and rolling away.

Only after did Jiro realize that, wait, this wasn't back home where his brother would randomly jump at him. This was a mission.

So.

_Snap _rang out where he had been standing. Massive jaws shutting on air.

"Pig?" was Rat's alarmed call.

"Shit!" Jiro cried, leaping away from the thing that had appeared. When had the mist rolled in? He could barely see the huge black shape fazing in and out of sight with the roiling mist. He couldn't see his teammates. The voice of fear tripled in intensity.

_Give in._

A claw parted the mist. Jiro might not have been able to see _it, _but _it _could see him. The long, hooked black blades went straight for his face. And it was fast. Jiro barely managed to substitute a clone before the claws closed on his would-be face, cleanly slicing the log into five pieces.

_Lose hope._

Someone screamed. It sounded like Boar's, a throaty sound that diminished into wet gurgling. Jiro wanted to cry.

"Boar!" yelled Jiro, terrified.

"Dead!" roared a deep, unknown voice. A loud smash followed, accompanied by the crack of breaking cartilage and bone.

_You're going to die._

"Snake!" cried Rat.

_Whoosh _went a blade. Jiro saw a long black scythe swing from behind – he had been foolishly focusing on the larger shape, hadn't noticed – and threw himself to the side. Pain lanced up his arm. He hadn't completely dodged it.

"Gah!" he hit the dirt hard. His other hand rose to clutch the aching joint and fell on air.

What.

He hadn't felt it. He had heard the whistle, saw the blade go past with blood on its tip. But. But-

He felt dizzy. Blood poured between his fingers. His arm was gone. The cut was clean, only his uniform was tattered at the edges. He could feel the shaved off tip of bone.

Phantom pain roared like wildfire down his nonexistence arm. Jiro heard screaming. It took a moment to connect the hoarse, haunted sound to his own voice.

"Pig!"

Footsteps. Human footsteps. Someone came out of the fog. A person. Not the black monstrosity.

Rat.

"Pig, Pig, are you alright? Your arm-"

"Sh-shut up," Jiro ground out. Rat was his superior, dammit; she wasn't supposed to freak out.

"They're both here," Rat babbled, "both of them. Kisame – he killed Snake. He's got this huge sword. It – she couldn't do anything. None of her jutsu-"

"Guh," another wave of pain pulsed from his stump of an arm.

"And Boar – he, he was already terrified, you know. And then the Uchiha – it had to be the Uchiha; it wasn't _human – _reached out from this bloody mist and just _took _his heart. Like it was picking a goddamned fruit! There was so much blood-"

She paused. Looked at him. Smiled.

"You weren't there."

Red was tinting his vision at this point, but he could tell something was off. Rat was annoying, yeah, but she didn't babble.

"Kisame killed me, too, you know. After Snake."

Jiro's eyes widened. Over her shoulder. The black shape had moved. Jiro could just make out glowing red eyes in the mist.

"Stabbed me. Suppose you didn't notice 'cause of your arm. Put yourself before all of us, didn't you?"

_You did._

He did. He wanted to cry, to bow down and apologize. He wanted to hug her legs and beg forgiveness. But all he could do was stare - stare into those glowing ruby eyes over her shoulder. He continued to stare, hypnotized, as the jaggedly spiked sword plunged into his throat.

Jiro's eyes bulged. Someone would find him. Someone would find him there with his Pig mask, but no one would pity him. He had abandoned his comrades. He had disappointed him.

Jiro died.

* * *

"You're so cruel, Itachi-san," Kisame said as he stared at the twitching corpse as his feet.

The dragon stared blankly at him.

Kisame twisted his sword and pulled it free from the ANBU's neck. The nerves in its body seemed to fire at that, sending its remaining arm into a fit of spasms. Kisame scowled in disgust.

When Kisame looked up again, he saw Itachi wandering off into the forest. Shrugging, Kisame turned back to the corpses and sighed.

Disposing of the bodies was always grisly work.

Sometimes he wished Itachi would just eat them. Kisame rarely saw Itachi eat, but when he did it was usually some mix of herbs and scavenged mushrooms. Fruits were also on his menu, though Itachi absolutely refused to eat grapes. He was like a vegetarian monster.

In battle, Itachi had no qualms about abandoning his little herbivorous habits. He made a show of swallowing limbs after tearing them off, or smashing skulls with his snout and licking off the gore with his far-too-long tongue while teammates watch on in horror. But right when the fighting ends, Itachi leaves.

Which means more work.

Later, he found Itachi soaking his tail-tip in an ice-cold river. Itachi's unnerving eyes, black now, looked glazed over and unfocused as he stared unseeing at the steady stream of pinkish water washed off his scale.

Kisame left. It wasn't like they were in a hurry. And he could always spend some time scouring the earth of the blood-taint.

* * *

Hi! HeartlessYin here. Just a reminder that my next update will come when this fic reaches SIX reviews! Thank you for your continued support!

I'm thinking the next chapter will be Kisame and Itachi's first mission. The way I'm writing it right now, it's gunna be a lot more humor and a lot less blood. If anyone wants to share other opinions, do tell! I love opinions.

Peace!

-Yin


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